Cabinet for camper vehicles

ABSTRACT

A fold-down cabinet for campers in which a counter assembly having a sink and stove is mounted on a base for movement between raised and lowered positions. The mechanism for raising and lowering the counter assembly consists of a plurality of levers connected to the counter assembly and to the base, permitting the base to swing outwardly, forwardly, upwardly and rearwardly as the counter assembly is moved from its lowered to its raised position. A drain fixture having a vent is connected to the sink, and the fixture has a plurality of holes for receiving the drain and vent outlet when the counter assembly is in its lowered and raised positions.

United States Patent 72] Inventor Lester D. Miller Topeka, Ind. [21]Appl. No. 29,903 [22] Filed Apr. 20, 1970 [45] Patented Dec. 14, 1971[73] Assignee Bangor Punta Operations, Inc.

New York, N .Y.

[54] CABINET FOR CAMPER VEHICLES 13 Claims, 1 1 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 312/229, 126/37, 312/228, 312/312, 312/237 [51] Int. Cl A47b51/00, F24c 15/00 [50] Field 01 Search 5/2, 11; 297/338, 345;4/1,166-170, 187, 188, 191; 312/228, 229, 236, 237, 306, 27-29, 312, 296;126/37 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,406,750 9/1946Dyett 312/295 X 2,790,689 4/1957 Hubbell 312/312 X 2,904,380 9/1959 Mark312/27 3,043,640 7/1962 Eames et a1. 312/27 X 3,472,219 10/1969 Roy etal 312/312 Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorneys-Hobbs and Greenand Kemon, Palmer and Estabrook having a vent is connected to the sink,and the fixture has a plurality of holes for receiving the drain andvent outlet when the counter assembly is in its lowered and raisedpositions.

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SHEET 3 BF 4 f \"\\KKYS lNVliN'I'UR. AESTER 0. MILLER BY fm CABINET FORCAMPER VEHICLES Generally accepted in the recreational field, the term"camper" refers to a trailer-type vehicle having a low body with a topwhich rests on the upper edge of the body while the vehicle is closedand being transported, and which is raised to an elevated positionsufficiently high to permit an adult person to stand erect therein whilethe vehicle is being used for living quarters. In order to provide arelatively low center of gravity and to reduce wind resistance when thevehicle is being towed by an automobile, the body is relatively low,usually of less height internally than the normal height of aconventional table or kitchen work counter and kitchen sink. Mostcampers are provided with fixed work counters and sinks which, becauseof the low height of the body, have been substantially lower than thenormal height, and consequently have been inconvenient, difl'tcult andtiring to use. These prior work counters and sinks have usually beenpermanently and rigidly installed, since the sinks have had water pipespermanently connected to tanks or other sources of water, and drainpipes connected to an outlet in the sidewall or floor of the body. Itis, therefore, one of the principal objects of the present invention toprovide a work counter including a sink and stove which folds downwardlyso that if fits into the low body structure of a camper, yet which caneasily and readily be raised to the height of a conventionaltable orwork counter when the top of the camper has been raised to permitoccupancy of the camper space. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a camper counter with asink having water pipes and a drain pipe connected thereto, which can beconveniently moved between a lower, compact condition to a raised,normally used position without detaching the pipes from the sink, andwhich forms a rigid structure when in either its lowered or raisedpositions.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sink-supportingstructure of the aforesaid type, which permits the sink to be movedbetween lowered and raised positions and includes a drain pipeconnection with the outside for venting drain gases to the atmospherewhen the sink is either in lowered or raised positions, and in which thedrain connection is so constructed and designed that it can be easilyconnected to a sewer or other suitable outside drain system.

A- further object is to provide a cabinet having a sink and a frame forsupporting the sink which is pivotally mounted on a base to permit thesink and supporting structure to swing outwardly and upwardly from itslowered position to its raised position and to be rigidly locked inplace in both positions.

Another object is to provide a foldable cabinet having a counter with asink and stove therein, and a base for supporting the counter having arefrigerator, and in which the sink, stove and refrigerator can be usedregardless of whether the cabinet is in its raised or lowered position.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present cabinet, showing the cabinetin its folded-down position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cabinet shown in FIG. 1 illustratingthe cabinet in its elevated position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cabinet shown in FIGS 1 and 2showing certain details and internal construction of the cabinet, andshowing the cabinet in its folded-down position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cabinet shown in FIGS. 1 and 2showing certain details of the internal construction of the cabinet, andshowing the cabinet in its elevated position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the cabinet shown inthe preceding figures;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of part of thecabinet. the section being taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, showing the workcounter in its lowered position;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to theview shown in FIG. 6, but showing the work counter in its elevatedposition;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a drain and vent mechanism for use inconjunction with the present cabinet, showing the vent structure in thelowered position;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vent structure,showing the vent in its lowered position, the section being taken online 9-9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 8, but showing the drainand vent structure in the elevated position; and

FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vent structure shownin FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, but showing the vent in the elevated position.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the present cabinet 8 isintended for use in a camper in which the body is relatively low, suchas that illustrated in FIG. 3 in which a sidewall 10 and floor or bottom12 are shown with the present cabinet installed in the trailer. The topof the cabinet, when it is in its folded position, is level with orbelow the upper edge 14 of wall 10. The type of camper or trailer inwhich the present cabinet is used is of a well-known construction inwhich the top rests on the upper edge 14 of the camper body when thecamper is being towed or stored, and the top is lifted to a heightsufficient to permit the occupants to stand fully erect in the camperwhen the camper is to be used for living accommodations. Various typesof lifting mechanisms for the top may be used in the trailer in whichthe present cabinet is installed such as that disclosed in US. Pat. No.3,314,715. The sides of the camper between the upper edge of the bodyand the lower edge of the top when the top is raised is normallyenclosed with canvas, plastic, or other suitable flexible material.

The present foldable cabinet includes a base structure 20 and a counter22, the base normally containing a refrigerator 24 having a door 26, andthe counter including a sink 28 and a stove 30 with a hinged cover 32.The base may also have cupboards and drawers such as those shown atnumerals 34 and 36. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the base consists of afront frame or wall 40 for receiving and retaining the refrigerator,cupboard, and drawer, and two sidewalls 42 and 44 joined to the outeredges of the front wall to form a rigid base structure therewith.

The counter assembly 50 includes counter 22, front panel 52 and sidepanels 54 and 56 joined rigidly to the front panel and to the undersideof counter 22 to form a rigid structure. The sink and stove, 28 and 30,respectively, are recessed in the counter and project only a shortdistance thereabove. The side panels 54 and 56 are spaced outwardly fromthe sides 42 and 44 of the base, and fixtures 60 and 62 are installedtherebetween, consisting of bars forming a generally rectangular shapewith an upper bar 64 joined to the internal wall of panel 56 by aplurality of screws 66, and a lower horizontal bar 68 joined to theexternal wall of sides 42 and 44 by a plurality of screws 70. The twohorizontal bars are pivotally connected to one another by three verticalmembers 74, 76 and 78. This construction permits the counter assembly toswing from the lowered position shown in FIG 3 to the elevated positionshown in FIG. 4 by a forward, upward, and rearward swinging movementwhich can be readily effected by merely pulling forwardly and upwardlyon the lower edge of the front panel 52. By the use of three verticalmembers 74, 76 and 78, instead of two, the counter assembly will alwaysbe maintained in a substantially level position throughout the entiremovement between its lowered and elevated positions.

The sink is provided with hot and cold water faucets 80 and 82 which aremounted in the countertop and are connected by flexible hoses or othersuitable flexible tubing with the respective sources of hot and coldwater. The manner in which the faucets are connected may be consideredconventional and will not be described in detail here. The gasconnection is also made by an approved flexible tubing or hose with agas tank or other suitable source of gas. The cover 32 is hinged alongits rear edge and lifts upwardly, forming a shield when the burners ofthe stove are in use. While the stove is referred to as gas operated, itmay be electric if desired.

Since the refrigerator may be used at various times when the cabinet isin its folded position, an opening 88 through which the upper edge ofrefrigerator door 26 can swing when the refrigerator door is to beopened is provided in front panel 52, and the opening is closed by adoor90 pivoted to the front panel by hinges 92 and 94. Panel 90 is swungupwardly, thus.

fully exposing the refrigerator door even though thecounter assembly isin its lowered position illustrated in FIG. 1, with the front panel andtwo side panels extending downwardly over the upper part of the base.when the counter assembly is in its raised position, the space above therefrigerator behind door panel 90 may be used for storage purposes.While the counter assembly, as illustrated, contains a sink and stove,it may contain merely the sink or the stove, and likewise, while thebase is shown containing a refrigerator, cupboard, and drawer, it maycontain any one of these three or none, depending upon the model ofcamper for which the cabinet is designed.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated. in the drawings, a drainfor the sink generally shown at number 100 consists of a trap T02connected to the outlet in the bottom of the sink. The trap is connectedto a drain and vent assembly 104 having T 106 connected to the trap by apipe 107, a drain pipe [08 connected to the lowered part of the T and avent pipe 110 connected to the upper part of the T. The drain has anoutlet or threaded nipple ll4 for receiving-a hose or other suitableconnection for draining the water into a sewage system or other suitablewater disposal system. The construction illustrated in the drawingpermits the vent to be open regardless of whether the cabinet is in itslowered or elevated position. This structure is best shown in FIGS. 9through 11 and consists of a fixture 120 having an upper opening 122 anda lower opening T24 for drain outlet 114. The fixture also includes anopening 126 for receiving the end 128 of vent 110. When the counterassembly is in its lowered position, a plate 130 is placed over the .twoholes 22 and 24 and secured thereto by any suitable securing means suchas a hand nut and screw 132. A cap 134 having an opening 136 ispreferably provided over vent opening 126 to prevent rain water fromdraining intothe drain through opening 122 into the inside of thecamper. When the counter assembly is in its raised position, the drainand vent are in the positions illustrated in Figures and 11 with drainoutlet end 114 extending through opening 122 and vent outlet 128extending through a grommet 140 in flexible side panel 142. connectingthe upper edge of the camper body with the lower edge of the top of thecamper. The grommet consists of a rubber washer 144 having an openingtherein for receiving outlet end 128, and a nut 146 threaded onto theoutlet end seats the grommet firmly against flange 148 to form awatertight joint with the flexible sidewall.

When the counter assembly is in its elevated position, a drain hose orpipe can be readily connected to the end or nipple 114, therebypermitting the water to drain effectively from the sink, and vent 110 isopened to the atmosphere through the hole in the grommet 140. When thecounter assembly is in its lowered position, end 114 extends into hole124 where a cap 150 such as that illustrated in H6. 9, can be threadedonto the nipple, or if the sink is to be used while the counter assemblyis in either its lowered or raised positions, the drain hose can beconnected to end 114. In either instance, the vent outlet 128 also isopened to the atmosphere, either through the grommet or through opening126 in the upper end of fixture 120. When the counter assembly is inlowered position, plate 130 is reversed to place hole 152 is its lowerposition illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. The plate is inverted to placehole 152 in its upper position as illustrated in FIG. 10 when thecounter assembly is in its raised position. The drain assembly 100 isrigidly supported on the underside of the counter assembly by thesupport member 160 attached to a member 162 on the underside of counter22.

In the operation of the present foldable cabinet installed in a camperin the manner illustrated in FIGS 3 and 4, after the top of the camperhas been lifted and the flexible sides between 4 the upper edge of thebody and the lower edge of the top-have been unfolded, the counterassembly 22 is pulled forwardly and upwardly from its lowered to itsraised position. Movement of the counter assembly initially retracts thedrain and vent outlets from the respective holes in fixture 120 onsidewall 10, and the forward swinging movement permits the drainassembly 104 to move freely upwardly until the counter assembly hasreached substantially its upper most level and members 74, 76, and 78are in nearly vertical position. When this position is approached, thedrain and vent outlet ends are placed in the proper position to extendthrough opening 126 and the opening in the grommet, respectively. Thedrain is then connected to a hose or other suitable connection, and nut146 is threaded onto outlet 128 and seated against the grommet to drawthe flange l48 tirmly against the grommet to form a watertight seal. Ahook 170 connected to the base and to the inside of the front panel isused to retain the assembly in its elevated position and to prevent thecounter assembly from swinging forwardly, and thus prevent it from beingaccidentallylowered. When the counter assembly is to be lowered, thevent outlet is disconnected from grommet 144, the hose is disconnectedfrom the drain outlet 114, and hook 170 is unlatched, thus permittingthe assembly to swingfor wardly and downwardly into its loweredposition. While it is nonnally desirable to use the cabinet with thecounter assembly in its raised position, the sink and stove maybe usedwhen the assembly is in its lowered position and the refrigerator can beopened by raising door panel to its horizontal position, thus fullyexposing door 26 of the refrigerator and permitting it to open fully. I

While the sink drain having vent is the preferred form, in economy typeinstallations where regulations'will permit, the sink may be draineddirectly by a hose or other suitable connection without a vent. Othervariations and modifications may be made to suit requirements withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

l. A fold-down cabinet for campers and the like, comprising a basestructure, a counter assembly mounted on and supported by said basestructure and having a sink therein, a means connected to said counterassembly and to said base structure for raising and lowering saidcounter assembly with respect to said base structure and including aplurality of levers pivoted to said counter assembly and to saidbasestructure whereby said counter assembly swings forwardly, upwardly andrearwardly as said assembly is moved from its lowered to its raisedposition, and drain means including a vent means, for said sink movablewith said counter assembly.

' 2. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which saidmeans includes a plurality of pivoted levers at each end of said counterassembly and base structure.

3 A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 2 in which threepivoted levers are used at each end.

4. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 3 in which saidpivoted levers are connected at their upper and lower ends to horizontalbars, one of which is attached to said counter assembly and the other tosaid base structure.

5. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which saidcounter assembly includes a stove.

6. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which saidbase structure includes a refrigerator.

7. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 5 in which saidbase structure includes a refrigerator.

8. A fold-down cabinet as defined in claim 7 in which said cabinetassembly includes a front wall which extends downwardly over the upperedge of said refrigerator and said wall is provided with a slot topermit the refrigerator door to be opened when the counter assembly isin its lowered position.

9. A fold-down cabinet as defined in claim 8 in which a door closes saidslot.

10. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which saiddrain means includes a fixture having a pair of vertically arrangedholes for receiving the drain outlet when the counter is in either itslowered or raised position, and said outlet swing inwardly away from thelower opening and hence upwardly and outwardly into the upper openingfor the raised counter assembly position.

11. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which saiddrain includes a fixture and said fixture has two vertical pairs ofopenings for receiving the outlets of said drain and vent when saidcounter assembly is in its lowered position and said outlets swinginwardly away from the respective openings and hence upwardly andoutwardly into the respective openings for the raised counter assemblyposition.

12. A fold-down cabinet for campers and the like, comprising a basestructure. a counter assembly mounted on and supported by said basestructure and having a sink therein, a means connected to said counterassembly and to said base structure for raising and lowering saidcounter assembly with respect to said base structure and including aplurality of levers pivoted to said counter assembly and to said basestructure whereby said counter assembly swings forwardly, upwardly andrearwardly as said assembly moved from its lowered to its raisedposition, drain means including a vent means for said sink movable withsaid counter assembly, and an upper and lower hole and a drain outletwhich moves with the counter assembly from the lower hole to the upperhole as said assembly is moved from its lowered to its raised position.

13. A fold-down cabinet for campers and the like, comprising a basestructure, a counter assembly mounted on and supported by said basestructure, and having a sink therein, a means connected to said counterassembly and to said base structure for raising and lowering saidcounter assembly with respect to said base structure, and drain meansincluding a vent means for said sink moveable with said counterassembly, said drain means including a fixture having a pair ofvertically arranged holes for receiving the drain outlet when thecounter is in either its lowered or raised position.

i i I i l

1. A fold-down cabinet for campers and the like, comprising a base structure, a counter assembly mounted on and supported by said base structure and having a sink therein, a means connected to said counter assembly and to said base structure for raising and lowering said counter assembly with respect to said base structure and including a plurality of levers pivoted to said counter assembly and to said base structure whereby said counter assembly swings forwardly, upwardly and rearwardly as said assembly is moved from its lowered to its raised position, and drain means including a vent means, for said sink movable with said counter assembly.
 2. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which said means includes a plurality of pivoted levers at each end of said counter assembly and base structure. 3 . A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 2 in which three pivoted levers are used at each end.
 4. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 3 in which said pivoted levers are connected at their upper and lower ends to horizontal bars, one of which is attached to said counter assembly and the other to said base structure.
 5. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which said counter assembly includes a stove.
 6. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which said base structure includes a refrigerator.
 7. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 5 in which said base structure includes a refrigerator.
 8. A fold-down cabinet as defined in claim 7 in which said cabinet assembly includes a front wall which extends downwardly over the upper edge of said refrigerator and said wall is provided with a slot to permit the refrigerator door to be opened when the counter assembly is in its lowered position.
 9. A fold-down cabinet as defined in claim 8 in which a door closes said slot.
 10. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which said drain means includes a fixture having a pair of vertically arranged holes for receiving the drain outlet when the counter is in either its lowered or raised position, and said outlet swing inwardly away from the lower opening and hence upwardly and outwardly into the upper opening for the raised counter assembly position.
 11. A fold-down cabinet for campers as defined in claim 1 in which said drain includes a fixture and said fixture has two vertical pairs of openings for receiving the outlets of said drain and vent when said counter assembly is in its lowered position and said outlets swing inwardly away from the respective openings and hence upwardly and outwardly into the respective openings for the raised counter assembly position.
 12. A fold-down cabinet for campers and the like, comprising a base structure, a counter assembly mounted on and supported by said base structure and having a sink therein, a means connected to said counter assembly and to said base structure for raising and lowering said counter assembly with respect to said base structure and including a plurality of levers pivoted to said counter assembly and to said base structure whereby said counter assembly swings forwardly, upwardly and rearwardly as said assembly moved from its lowered to its raised position, drain means including a vent means for said sink movable with said counter assembly, and an upper and lower hole and a drain outlet which moves with the counter assembly from the lower hole to the upper hole as said assembly is moved from its lowered to its raised position.
 13. A fold-down cabinet for campers and the like, comprising a base structure, a counter assembly mounted on and supported by said base structure, and having a sink therein, a means cOnnected to said counter assembly and to said base structure for raising and lowering said counter assembly with respect to said base structure, and drain means including a vent means for said sink moveable with said counter assembly, said drain means including a fixture having a pair of vertically arranged holes for receiving the drain outlet when the counter is in either its lowered or raised position. 